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Bridgestone research shows the Russian Dandelion may be a sustainable source of natural rubber

To most of us, the dandelion is just a yellow flower – but this humble plant could be about to revolutionise tyre manufacturing.

Bridgestone Americas, which is part of the global Bridgestone Corporation, has been taking part in researchinto whether the Russian Dandelion can become a commercially viable, renewable source of high-quality, tyre-grade rubber – and the results are promising.

The Program for Excellence in Natural Rubber Alternatives (PENA) based at the Ohio State University'sAgricultural Research and Development Centre has been analysing the performance of the rubber produced byusing natural rubber extracted from Russian Dandelion.

"We know that there are more than 1,200 types of plants from which natural rubber could in theory be harvested,but finding one that could practically produce the quality and amount of rubber needed to meet the demands oftoday's tyre market is a challenge," said Dr. Hiroshi Mouri, President of Bridgestone Americas Center forResearch and Technology.

"Bridgestone continues to dedicate substantial resources to finding sustainable alternatives for the naturalrubber needed to manufacture tyres and other high-quality rubber products, and we're excited about thispotentially game-changing discovery with the Russian Dandelion."

This news comes on the heels of a March 2012 announcement to research and develop Guayule, a shrubnative to the south-western U.S. and northern Mexico, as an alternative to natural rubber harvested from rubbertrees.

For that project, Bridgestone Americas is establishing a pilot farm and constructing a rubber process research centre in the south-western United States. Russian Dandelion and Guayule have almost identical qualities compared to natural rubber harvested from the rubber tree, which is currently the primary source for the naturalrubber used in tyres.

With the demand for tyres expected to continue increasing in the near and long term, the Bridgestone Grouphas embraced its responsibility to develop technologies and business practices that encourage conservationof finite natural resources. Through separate and unique efforts such as the Russian Dandelion and Guayuleresearch projects, the Bridgestone Group is working to develop tyres using 100% sustainable materials(renewable and recyclable resources).